THE HAGUE, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof's cabinet avoided collapse Friday night following hours of crisis talks in response to the resignation of State Secretary for Finance Nora Achahbar, local media said.
Achahbar, a member of the New Social Contract (NSC) party, resigned in protest over some politicians' alleged racist comments regarding recent violence involving Israeli football fans. Her resignation, if followed by others from the NSC party, could threaten the governing coalition's majority.
Leaders from all four coalition parties -- the Party for Freedom, the NSC, the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Farmer-Citizen Movement, attended the crisis talks at the prime minister's official residence. The NSC in time opted to remain in the coalition, averting a government collapse.
The violence occurred during a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on Nov. 7, when Maccabi supporters, some involved in rioting, were attacked in what Schoof condemned as "anti-Semitic" violence. ■